Someone To Protect
by enemytosleep
Summary: Sesshoumaru's injuries force him to stay at the village with Kagome and the others. No one is particularly happy with the arrangement.


I realized recently I'd never cross-posted a lot of my earlier fic. This was originally written back in 2008 as a series of drabbles for the then active contest group, Ebony Silks. I've cleaned them up a little, but it's all pretty much exactly as it was posted back then - so please do remember that this was some of my very first fanfic evah!

* * *

Naraku's cackling made her blood boil. Kagome grit her teeth and made to run to Inuyasha, but was soon distracted by a barely perceptible blur of white and silver. Sesshoumaru withdrew Tokijin from its sheath and released an attack on the vile half-demon before him. Kagome watched anxiously as its power collided with the barrier surrounding Naraku, praying to every god that she knew that it would break through. Slowly, impossibly, Tokijin's wrath sunk into the wall of demon energy. To her horror, however, it was turned in on itself and then thrown back out. He was too close to avoid it.

She looked from the fallen body of the demon lord, to Naraku, and then to Inuyasha. Sango had taken up a position next to him as he struggled to stand, while a weakened Miroku was being watched over by Kirara. Evil laughter brought her attention back to their enemy, as a twisting tentacle erupted from the safety of the barrier and sped toward Sesshoumaru.

_Is he dead? Why isn't he getting up? _Without further thought, she brought an arrow to her bowstring and released it onto the attacking limb. She ran toward him as her sacred arrow disintegrated the appendage, grateful to find that Sesshoumaru was indeed alive. He was trying to sit up, but the severity of his injuries was preventing him from doing so.

"I do not require your help, girl. Leave me be."

_I must be crazy_, she thought as she stood in front of him, releasing another arrow.

* * *

Kagome watched her arrow fly true and strike the barrier surrounding Naraku. The arrow head sunk deeply, coming to a stop somewhere inside the invisible wall, its feathered end shuddering at the force of the impact. She felt the shield pulse with holy power as the arrow disintegrated. It was so quick that she almost missed it, but she was sure she had felt Naraku's energy wane at that exact moment.

She reached behind her for another arrow, hoping that she had the power to break through. As she fit the stone tip against the supple shaft of her bow, she heard a commotion from across the clearing.

Inuyasha had risen from the ground, and was leaning heavily on Tetsusaiga. Their eyes met and a silent plan was formed. She tensed her arms as she waited for the signal. He withdrew the heavy blade from the ground, staggering slightly under its immense weight. As he brought the blade over his shoulder, he shouted, "Now, Kagome!"

_Hit the mark!_

"Wind Scar!"

Her arrow struck, sending another pulse of purification power through the demon barrier. The power of Tetsusaiga collided at precisely the right moment, overpowering Naraku's shield as it was momentarily weakened by the sacred arrow. She held her breath as the barrier wavered, breathing again when it fell.

"Yes!"

She gave into the urge to hop as she raised her fists in brief triumph. As she landed she once again reached for the feathered tails poking out of her quiver. Her fingers never found them though.

A hard, sharp blow to the middle of her back sent her flying forward, face-first into the dirt. White stars flashed before her closed eyes as her nose slammed into the ground. Groaning, she shook her head to clear her vision and lifted herself enough so that she could turn to see what had struck her.

Sesshoumaru.

She watched him attack Naraku as if it were all happening underwater. His sword cut through the air sluggishly; the menacing roar escaping his lips was muffled in her ears. The silk of his haori flapped lazily after the sweep of his sword in a perfect arc, mimicking the crescent moon on his brow. His eyes were blood red, and the normally sharp markings of his cheeks were jagged and bleeding magenta over his face. She struggled to get up from the ground, but froze when she saw the demon lord begin to crumple.

He was standing right on top of her.

Covering the back of her head with her hands, she tensed up, anticipating the impact. It seemed as though he would never land as she cowered in the dirt, bracing herself. Just when she felt the urge to look, his limp body slammed into hers with awesome force.

Her chest burned. Tearing pain ripped through her muscles as she tried to breathe, the force of his fall having knocked the wind out of her. The hard panels of his armor dug into her sides as his weight bore her into the ground. She tried to roll out from under him, but found that he was far too heavy to move. _What is he made of, lead?_

She shifted slightly beneath him, and found herself able to breathe again. She couldn't move her head, but she could see the deadly curve of metal spikes covering his shoulder from the corner of her eye. _I guess I'm lucky that those didn't land on me._

She couldn't tell what had happened, or if Sesshoumaru was alive or not. All she could feel was the dead weight of his body, and the hardness of his armor against her back. _Oh geez, what if he is dead?_ He hadn't looked so good before he fell … _Ew! Dead body! Gross!_

Her morbid thoughts were interrupted by the muffled calls of Inuyasha. She couldn't make out what he was saying, but somehow she knew that he was calling for her. Wriggling desperately, she found that one of her legs was free from the body of the demon atop her. She starting kicking it wildly, hoping to draw his attention. Soon enough she could hear him from somewhere close-by, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

Kagome rifled through her overstuffed backpack, looking for the allergy medicine that she knew was hiding in there. As her fingers fumbled blindly through her belongings, she ran across a roll of gauze. She decided to take it out as Inuyasha would most likely be needing some of it. She found boxes of band-aids and hidden treats for Shippo. She felt textbooks with bits of note paper sticking out the pages, trying to ignore that fact that she had yet to complete those assignments. Finally, she found the small box of anti-histamine tablets she had been searching for, and brought them over to where Miroku lay resting in the abandoned hut.

Sango held a cold cloth to his forehead as Kagome fiddled with the wrapping to remove a few tablets. Once they were free, they both helped him to sit up and swallow the pills with some water. He drained the bottle in one try; the insects' venom disturbing all of his body's functions. Kagome watched as he lay back down, grimacing as he adjusted himself. She couldn't help but notice how his face was flushed and covered in fine sweat, and the way that Sango's eyes welled up at his discomfort.

"Hopefully with some rest, he'll start to regain his strength."

"Yes, I hope so. I think I will go and find more water for him now." The slayer turned to the young fox that was watching the monk with worried eyes. "Shippo, would you help me carry some extra bottles to the stream?"

"Sure Sango!" he replied, eager for the distraction.

Shippo hopped merrily from his seat over to their traveling packs, where he began to gather together their water bottles. Sango lingered over the resting monk for a few moments longer, carefully stroking his face. Her eyes were glassy, and for once she did nothing to hide her feelings for him.

"I'm ready! Are you coming, Sango?"

"Yes," she stammered, coming out of her trance. Slowly she made her way out of the hut, assisted by the young demon. Kirara slipped out after them, presumably to comfort her long-time companion.

Once they had left, Kagome went back to her backpack and began to pull out her other First Aid supplies. When she had them assembled, she called over to her crimson-clad companion. "Inuyasha, let me see your wounds."

"I told ya before, I'm fine."

"Inuyasha," she commanded in a deadly whisper. "Don't make me say it."

He came over to her and sat down before her, pouting, his ears flattened to his skull. He unfastened his haori and slid it down over his shoulders, revealing a nasty gash on his right arm. She could see several large bruises that were either still forming or already healing; she never knew which when it came to the half-demon.

Automatically she reached for the peroxide and set out to clean the open wound. They spoke little, only small exchanges every so often to determine if there were more injuries that needed looking at and if he was in pain. It was an old routine now, something done automatically and with little thought.

When the wound was fully clean she began to pack it with antibiotic ointment, using some gauze to keep her hands from touching the exposed flesh. When she was nearly finished, deep groans from across the room captured her attention. She dropped the dirty gauze onto the mat Inuyasha was sitting on and scurried over to the waking demon across the hut.

"Sesshoumaru, you're awake! How do you feel?"

He took in his surroundings with a look of great disdain.. "You have moved me?"

"Um, yeah. You were passed out."

"Hn."

"I told ya he'd be fine. A complete waste carryin' him here..."

"Inuyasha! We couldn't just leave him like that!"

"He woulda been fine. I could use some more bandages for my arm though."

"Weren't you the one that said you 'didn't need no help, you'd heal on your own'? Or did I hear you incorrectly then?" She smirked wickedly as she stood up from Sesshoumaru's side and went back to finish wrapping his arm.

"That was before I saw the cut on my arm," he retorted. It was a weak excuse, but she allowed it. It certainly was better than fighting with him to get his injuries treated as was usual. _He's just like a little kid sometimes. So jealous of the attention his brother gets over him. I mean come on, when have I ever paid more attention to his brother than him? _

She sat down next to her friend and began to wrap his arm so that the wound would be covered. She secured the bandages with a neat little bow and admired her handiwork. "Okay, you're all set, Inuyasha. Try not to move your arm too much and get some rest."

"Hmph."

"I mean it. I'm going to go check on your brother now."

"Ha! I bet that will go over well."

"Oh be quiet." She scooped up her first aid supplies and shuffled over to where Sesshoumaru lay waiting. She knelt on the floor and carefully began to assemble the supplies next to him. His golden eyes snapped open as she arranged everything, carefully observing her actions. A silver brow gradually crept further up his forehead as she worked, and when she didn't think it could possibly arch any higher, he spoke.

"What are you doing, girl?"

"I'm getting ready to treat your wounds, that's what I'm doing. Where are you hurt, Sesshoumaru?"

"I do not require your assistance."

"You didn't seem to mind it so much when you were unconscious not too long ago."

"I had no need of stopping your procedures then."

"Of course not, you were out cold!"

He did not answer her. Instead he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, as if preparing to doze off.

"He'll never admit that he needs help, Kagome. You're just wastin' your time."

She chose to ignore Inuyasha's comment and addressed the demon before her instead. "Sesshoumaru, I know you must be very tired, but I need to check your wounds before an infection sets in."

"There is no need for you to do anything. Leave me to rest."

She could feel her blood pressure rising. _What is it with these dog demons being so bull-headed? It's ridiculous! He's obviously badly hurt...I can't just sit here and not try to help._ "Sesshoumaru, where does it hurt the most?"

"I have told you, there is nothing for you to tend to here."

"Yeah right, let me see." She reached forward for his armor ties, and was blocked by his one arm. She could feel him tremble through the soft fabric of his jacket, the pain of his efforts clearly written across his normally stoic face.

Determined to treat his wounds, Kagome grabbed hold of his wrist and began to wrestle his arm away. iWhat is he trying to hide? /ishe thought as he fought earnestly to keep her away, despite the now visible shaking of his straining arm.

"Sesshoumaru, stop being so stubborn!"

"Ha! Like that'll ever happen."

Sesshoumaru growled in reply, his resistance growing more steady as his determination intensified. She could feel herself losing ground, so she swung one leg over his midsection in order to gain more leverage.

With her weight now centered over him, she leaned in and started to push his arm back toward the floor. He howled fiercely, whether in pain, rage or both she did not know. All she knew was that he was looking rather pale and in her new position, she could tell that his entire body was quivering. Through gritted teeth she asked once more, "Sesshoumaru, will you just let me look? Please!"

"No," he rumbled back, the gravelly tones distorting his voice. The effort of speech had cost him however, as the girl quickly overpowered him and pinned his arm to the tatami he lay on.

"Now stay and let me do this!" She began to undo the ties of his chest plate, not entirely sure what she was in for. _He's so weak, these wounds must be pretty bad._

"Kagome! What's going on here?" The demon slayer had returned along with young Shippo, whom she was blocking from entering. Inuyasha snickered from his corner and Sesshoumaru turned his face away from the doorway, hiding behind his silver hair.

Kagome looked down and blushed hotly as she finally appreciated her very compromising position. "Oh geez!"

* * *

Kagome held the leather ties in her hand as she gaped at her friend. What exactly _was_ happening here?

"Shippo, Kagome's busy right now. Let's leave this water out here for her while we go gather some food." With a questioning glance, Sango turned and left the hut with the young fox in tow.

_She's a good friend. _In her distraction, Sesshoumaru had begun to squirm in an attempt to escape once again. "Sesshoumaru, I need to do this! Please stop fighting." He glared at her, and then shifted his gaze over to the corner where Inuyasha reclined. Realization struck her, and she immediately set out to remedy the situation.

"Inuyasha."

His ears twitched and he lifted his face to meet hers. "What?"

"Get out."

"Why?"

"I need to clean his wounds, and I need you to give us some privacy."

"Feh. If I leave the first thing he'll do is get the Hell out of here."

She turned to Sesshoumaru. _Will you try to leave?_ He scowled at his half-brother, and when his eyes met hers he sighed and relaxed. "Inuyasha...you need to leave. Why don't you go catch some fish or something?"

"So you're not just kicking me out, you're giving me work to do too?"

She growled and pointed to the door.

"Fine! I'll leave! Wouldn't want to stay here anyway," he grumbled as he stalked out of the hut.

Once he had left, she began fingering the leather strings for a moment, lost in thought. _I can't believe he's actually letting me do this._

* * *

"Why do you hesitate?"

"Um, what?"

"You were so eager to undress me before, and yet here you are frozen in place by the ties of my armor."

"Oh. Yeah..." Kagome fumbled her words nervously. _What am I even doing? Okay, Kagome, focus! He's hurt. You need to help him! _She shook her head and began to focus once more on the task at hand.

Carefully she slid her leg back over his body so that she was kneeling on the floor next to him. Once she was steady, she began to undo the ties that held his chest armor in place. The intricate knots of fine leather were precise, and she found the task a bit harder than she had originally imagined. Once she had finally released the last of the strands, she tried to lift the chest plate from his body. _Oh man! This thing weighs a a ton! _

She stood over him in order to gain more leverage, and found herself once again straddling the injured demon. His piercing gaze had followed all of her movements up until this point, and she blushed fiercely when it abruptly veered off - her skirt was providing him with a less than modest view of herself. Using her knees she slowly lifted the heavy armor off and settled it onto the mat beside him.

"Do you ever get tired of wearing that?" she asked jokingly as she wiped the fine sweat that covered her brow.

"No."

"Okay..." His curt response put a damper on any friendliness that had been kindling._ Well, 'friendly' might be pushing it a bit. Maybe more like 'tolerating my presence'. _

She had lost a bit of her momentum, but she certainly hadn't lost any of her determination._ Here we go! _Nervously, she knelt back down beside him and began to loosen his obi. Her fingers brushed over the light fabric of his hakama as she worked on the elaborate waistband, which caused her to nearly choke on he own breath. She made sure to concentrate on keeping her hands from accidentally straying again.

Soon she could pull the tails of his coats from their place at his waist. Slowly, she opened the outer coat, slipping it over his left shoulder and then gathering the empty sleeve toward his head. She paused for a moment as she focused on his right hand. _It's just his hand, Kagome. No reason to freak out over his hand._ Breathing deeply she took his hand in hers. She used the other to pull the sleeve off of his arm as she lifted it gently from the floor.

With his arm now free, she turned her focus to his undercoat. The white silk puckered and bubbled in the places where it wasn't plastered to his skin. When she began to peel open the jacket and she found that the top layers of skin were coming off with it, evidenced by fresh rivulets of blood trickling across the exposed parts of his torso.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Does it hurt?"

"I'm fine; these wounds are nothing of consequence."

"Are you sure?"

"Do not pester me with questions."

"I'm just trying to help, Sesshoumaru!"

All she got for response was a ferocious glare. Growling, she once again started to peel the sullied silk away from his body. Despite her efforts otherwise, his skin continued to peel off in chunks. What wasn't bleeding was badly bruised, his chest a sea of crimson and violet. Once it was fully open she repeated the task of freeing his arm, this time shimmying both coats out from beneath him.

For a moment all she could do was stare at the mess in front of her. How do I take care of this? Thinking back on what she had learned in Health class, she decided to proceed using hydrogen peroxide. Soaking a clean cloth with it, she began to clean the raw flesh. _You know, if this had been Inuyasha I'd have a migraine from all of the whining how 'This stuff stinks!' or 'How much are you pouring on there anyway?'._

All the while Sesshoumaru watched her like a hawk. It was a bit unnerving to say the least. She tried to ignore him the best she could, focusing instead on the care she was giving. His wounds fizzled as the peroxide met them, and she could see the way his skin recoiled from it.

"We're almost done now!" The smile she had forced herself to wear was quickly erased the moment she saw that his eyes were closed in pain. His grimace was slight but there was no denying that he was suffering. "Sesshoumaru..."

His eyes shot open and he scowled, obviously upset that she had caught him in his moment of weakness.

"There, I just need to cover the wounds now." She didn't know what she should say. All she knew was his insistence on being "fine" and his behavior otherwise were irritating beyond belief. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her gauze and began layering it over the freshly cleaned wounds.

Once she had finished, she diligently repacked her supplies and set aside the used cloth for sanitizing. As soon as she had herself situated she gathered the small pile along with Sesshoumaru's haori and undercoat. Making sure her hold on the cloths was secure, she stood and starting walking toward the exit.

"What are you doing with my robes?"

"What do you think? I need to clean them!" She nodded in agreement with herself and turned to leave the hut.

* * *

Kagome made her way down to the stream to launder her pile of soiled linens. She had left the hut unaccompanied, but she now had the feeling that she wasn't alone. "I know you're there, Inuyasha."

"Feh. What are you doin' out here by yourself?"

"I'm a big girl, Inuyasha. I'm going to the stream to clean Sesshoumaru's clothes."

"I could smell his stench all over you, didn't think you'd been around him naked though."

"I have not been around him naked! Not that it's any of your business!"

"First you kick me out and give me chores to do, and then I find you out here with that bastard's clothes? What am I supposed to think?"

"I don't know, but definitely not what you're thinking!"

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you enjoyed undressing him - you're always so eager to strip me after a fight."

That was it. She had had it. "Sit, Boy!"

She stormed off toward the river bank, leaving Inuyasha in his crater of jealousy._ What's gotten into Inuyasha all of a sudden?_

She reached the stream bed and knelt down in the soft sand. She slammed her laundry pile into the shallows with far more force than was necessary and began to vigorously scrub the stained cloth.

_I mean, who is Inuyasha to complain about what I choose to do. It's not like we haven't seen each other naked before...well, it wasn't like that, but still, if he had wanted it to be…_

* * *

She tossed and turned and adjusted her pillow once again. It had been a tiresome evening of wound-tending and silent reflection for Kagome, leaving both her body and her mind utterly exhausted. Miroku had finally woken up, much to the relief of the Inu-Tachi. He was still quite weak from the toxins, but it was a very good sign that he was conscious and able to move around a bit. Sesshoumaru's bruising had begun to dissipate already, and the more shallow wounds were already covered in thin layers of new skin. She couldn't help but wonder how a demon's power aided him in healing. She had seen examples of it with Inuyasha a thousand times, but Sesshoumaru's being a full-blooded demon seemed to make things happen even more quickly.

While the progress of her companions was something to be happy about, she found herself feeling kind of down and confused. _Does this feeling have anything to do with Inuyasha? With Sesshoumaru?_ The elder brother's presence had definitely thrown a wrench into the normal workings of the group. A certain half-demon remained abnormally petulant and annoying._ Is it possible for anyone to actually be both at the same time? _She shifted once again in her sleeping bag, unable to find sleep like the others had.

She heard a soft rustle from the far corner of the hut, and then a sharp intake of breath. It seemed as though she wasn't the only one who couldn't fall asleep. "Sesshoumaru, is that you? Are you still awake?"

There was a pregnant silence, eventually broken by a curt, "Yes."

"Can I ask you something?" Her mind was chock full of questions, and she figured this opportunity would only present itself once.

"You just have. Would you care to ask something else?"

She groaned. "That's not funny _or_ original, just so you know."

"Do you have a question, or not?"

"I'm getting there! You are really irritating, you know?"

"I was not aware of that. Was that your question?"

"No! My question is why were you helping us earlier? Fighting Naraku, I mean? Things were looking bad for us, and then you showed up out of the blue..."

"I did not 'help' you. It was merely a coincidence that I was there to finish business with the vermin at that particular moment in time."

"Right," she said disbelievingly. _It's like trying to have a serious conversation with an eight year old boy who thinks he's clever!_ "Well, whether you had intended to help or not, you did. So thank you."

"Your gratitude is not required."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Goodnight, Sesshoumaru."

More silence. _Ugh. _

* * *

Tiredly, she rubbed the layers of sleep from her eyes. Stretching her arms out over her head, she rolled onto her back, mindful of the sleeping kitsune snuggled up next to her side. After a few good yawns, she found the strength to sit up. She had spent most of the night trying to ignore her racing thoughts rather than actually sleeping. Her head dully ached as she moved as if she was carrying a lead weight inside of her skull.

She turned to see that Sango and Miroku were still asleep. The slayer had made bed close to his side._ She's really in denial, poor thing. It's pretty obvious that she cares for him._ From her seat across the room, she could tell that Miroku's color had improved dramatically, and his breathing no longer seemed labored. _He'll be all right after all. That's one less worry._

Inuyasha remained to be seen. He had slept outside last night, even refusing dinner. If the gentle creaks of the thatched roof during the night were any indication, she would say that he had slept on top of the hut.

Her lazy gaze made its way over to Sesshoumaru's corner, and she found herself coming to full attention rather quickly. He had moved from his place on the floor and was propped in a sitting position against the far wall. He silk undercoat was draped over his back and missing arm, the other sleeve filled with the remaining limb. He appeared to be resting, his long hair falling gracefully over his cheeks and spilling over the white of his clothes.

Hastily, she scrabbled out of her sleeping bag and scurried over to his side. His eyes snapped open as she approached, his expression unreadable. _There's that mask...he must be feeling better!_

"You're better!"

"I'm fine"

"You must be better than 'fine'. You were 'fine' yesterday and could hardly move. Today you're sitting up and you've dressed yourself. That's great!"

"Your excitement over the mundane is truly astounding."

She growled. _This is going to be a long day!_

* * *

"How are your wounds this morning? And don't you dare say 'fine,'"

He said nothing as she rolled her eyes and moved forward to inspect him, opening his undercoat and carefully tucking the ends behind him. She pushed back his hair as she did so, unconsciously lingering on the silken stands with one hand as she began to peel back the gauze.

"So you're fondling him again already?"

It seemed that Inuyasha had decided to rejoin the group inside once more. "I am not fondling him!"

"Then what do you call that?" he demanded as he pointed at her wayward fingers.

Shocked, she instantly retracted her hand from Sesshoumaru's hair and used it to point right back at her accuser . "I'm checking his wounds as you very well know. And you're next by the way, so don't go off brooding somewhere."

Crossing his arms, he turned and began to storm out of the hut, holding his nose high in defiance.

"Does it bother you, little brother, that this girl shows me compassion, despite knowing my feelings toward you and your group?"

Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks and whirled around to face him. "I ain't jealous of nothin'. It's just nauseating to watch is all."

Their impending argument was interrupted by a resounding slap as it echoed throughout the small hut. The group turned to find a red-faced Miroku collapsed on the floor behind a glaring Sango.

_When I get back home I'm going to buy myself a large chocolate shake…_

"Kagome, do you have any ninja treats for us?"

…_and some pizza…_

* * *

"Yes, Shippo, I brought some treats back with me. Could you go get some water so we can have noodles?"

"Sure thing, Kagome!" His little chest puffed with pride as he happily left the group. Kirara pranced noiselessly after him, her twin-tails curling around the door frame as she went.

She continued to dress his mostly healed wounds, doing her best to avoid lingering on any one spot for too long. He winced almost imperceptibly when she taped gauze over his ribs, a sure sign that his internal injuries were still affecting him. Smiling weakly, she decided to play dumb, lest his pride be further slighted. "I'm sorry that we don't have much to offer you, Sesshoumaru. Will noodles be okay?"

"There is _no_ way he's having any of _my_ noodles!"

Kagome shot up and stood face-to-face with Inuyasha then, angrily jabbing her finger into his chest. "Since when are they, iyour/i noodles? I seem to recall being the one who packed these noodles."

"Enough of this," Sesshoumaru commanded. "I do not eat human food. There is no need of this."

Ignoring Inuyasha, Kagome turned to the elder demon with concern in her eyes. "What can we get for you? You need to eat something."

"I need nothing. I am fine."

She dug her nails into her closed palms, quietly grinding her teeth bare. _I swear if he says that one more time I'm going to throttle him!_

"See, Kagome? Don't bother wasting your time on this bastard."

"That is an interesting use of the term, seeing as your mother was..."

"Don't you dare say anything about my mother!"

"Stop it!" Kagome interjected. "Let's all just be quiet and eat some breakfast. Sesshoumaru if you change your mind, let me know. Okay?"

They both ignored her, instead throwing vicious glares at one another.

"_Okay_?"

Begrudgingly, they broke eye contact and Inuyasha left to sit next to the small fire pit. Sesshoumaru slipped back into his state of rest, while Kagome began to pace the room. The level of stress in her life had sky-rocketed as of late, and if things didn't improve soon she feared she would go berserk.

Soon, Shippo returned carrying a large pot filled with water, which was a welcome distraction for the young girl. Together, they hug it over the fire to start the boiling process as Kagome went and checked on Miroku. Whatever had happened earlier between him and Sango seemed to have been forgotten, as she had remained by his side the entire morning.

In no time the pot raged with churning water, signaling that it was now time to add their meager offering. The dried noodles buoyed momentarily, tossed over and about by the angry liquid. They danced over the surface in an erratic routine, capturing Kagome's attention. Soon enough they were so weighted that they could no longer stay afloat, forced to sink toward the bottom of the cauldron. Kagome continued to watch the noodles sway in the boiling currents, completely lost to the rest of the world.

Her gaze began to lose focus, the pot and its contents becoming a nothing more than a blur. _So what's next? Everyone's doing a lot better today. We might be able to move by tomorrow. Well, we'll have to see about Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha's not going to like that._ She sighed heavily and turned away from their meal. She observed Sango as she sat stroking Kirara with Miroku resting quietly beside her. Inuyasha sat pouting, giving her a sharp look when he noticed her glance. Shippo was talking to Sesshoumaru, while the demon lord scowled...

_Wait, what?_

"So what do you eat anyway? Why's it such a big secret? I'm a full demon and I eat human food-"

"Shippo, let him rest! Besides, it's not nice to ask those kinds of questions." She shooed the little kitsune away, guiding him over to her bag where she promptly withdrew coloring supplies. This stopped all protest, and he immediately sat down and began to color. Satisfied that he was entertained for the time being, she went back over to the fire to check on their breakfast.

Shippo's question had piqued her curiosity however, and she found she couldn't resist the questions that were forming in her head. "So what do you eat, Sesshoumaru? I can send Inuyasha out to hunt something if you want. He's almost fully healed now."

"There ain't no way I'm doin' anything for him, so you can just forget about it." He was standing once again, arms folded into the recesses of his haori. His lips curled, baring hints of fang as he sneered. "Besides, it's not like he's about to spill his big secret to a bunch of lowly humans."

Sesshoumaru remained a statue, not the faintest trace of recognition or acknowledgment betrayed by his perfectly stoic face. His eyes were shut and his breathing deep and relaxed. If she didn't know any better, she might have thought he was actually asleep. He obviously wasn't going to answer any of her questions any time soon. _What a jerk!_

"Wolves and other wild dog demons all eat raw meat, so it would make sense that he might hunt his own food," Sango supplied. The slayer had moved toward to the fire pit as she began to unpack bowls from their packs.

Miroku had followed Sango, and was seated next to her."It also explains why he might prefer us not to know about it."

"True," Sango replied. She was now ladling out the cooked noodles into the bowls as Miroku dispensed them among the group. "But there is the fact that Inuyasha eats human food with no issue. So perhaps dog demons have adapted to human life like their animal counterparts?"

"Inuyasha is half human though, so it could be the human in him," Miroku reasoned. "And I imagine that his pride would also prevent him from admitting such a behavior, given his view on humanity that is."

"I'm right here ya know," Inuyasha barked, noodles draped thickly over his bottom lip.

"You know, that makes a lot of sense!" Kagome acknowledged. "That and I doubt he'd admit to doing anything Inuyasha did because he thinks so little of him."

"Fine, if you guys wanna keep talkin' about me like I'm not here, then I'll make it easy for ya and leave!"

"Now that is something I can savor," Sesshoumaru replied.

* * *

A streak of red flashed, and Inuyasha was gone. The others finished their morning meal in silence, save for the occasional slurping of noodles.

Gently placing his bowl before him, Miroku bowed slightly to Kagome in gratitude. His eyes were warm, as was his voice, "Kagome, when will you need to return home?"

"Wha-? I don't know." She had been dreading this question. Everyone was ready to move out now, save one full-of-himself-demon lord. She turned to face said demon as she spoke, the question in her mind written across her face. _When will you be ready?_

He leaned heavily on his right leg with his only arm, forcing himself to stand. His eyes never left hers, his gaze so intense it began to burn. "My armor."

"But you're not fully healed! You can't seriously be ready to leave ... wait, did you just ask me for help?"

"No."

"Oh, I believe you just asked me to help you with your armor."

"I did not. I was merely stating the obvious."

"How so?"

"You removed my armor against my will. It is only fitting that you would retrieve it for me now."

"Uh huh." She wasn't sure if she should be angry or entertained by his words.

_He totally just asked for help, and now he's trying to deny it. It's our morning ritual! I ask a question, he lies, I call him out, and he continues to deny! I can picture what Eri and the others would say about him. 'Another creep boyfriend who lies and thinks he's so tough.' Oh brother._

* * *

Kagome's teeth grated over the metal ridges of her pencil eraser as she stared blankly at the test in front of her. She could taste the traces of lead from her many start-overs amid the spongy, rubber of her pencil's eraser. She used her tongue to roll the utensil to the other side of her mouth, where she immediately resumed the frantic gnawing that tended to accompany her Calculus studies.

It seemed that every time she arrived back in the Modern Era, she had an exam that she was not prepared for in the least. Their last battle with Naraku and the time spent healing afterward had cost her over a week's worth of studying, and she was certainly feeling the loss now.

Numbers and kanji swam in front of her, swirling and spinning in a hurried dance. Soon they were nothing but nameless shapes that teased and taunted her, concealing their meaning. The test might as well have been written in another language, her ability to focus now completely shot.

Sighing, she spit out her pencil and rested her head into her palm as she leaned over her desk. Closing her eyes, she took a few deep breaths and tried to find herself.

_I wonder how he's doing…_

* * *

"So you're leaving?" Kagome stood back and watched helplessly as Sesshoumaru took the last piece of armor from her and began putting it in place. It was just the two of them now; the others had all left the hut, Sango ushering them out and giving Kagome a warm smile.

"Hn." He continued to fasten his armor himself, a task made more difficult with only one arm.

"I suppose there's not much I can do to stop you."

"No." His deft fingers worked on the leather ties, firmly securing the pieces to himself.

"You're not fully healed, you should really be careful."

His eyes never left his work, slowly but surely checking that all was firmly tied. "There are things that need attending to. I will be fine."

"You mean like, Rin?"

This caught his attention. He stopped all preening and gazed at her intently. It was uncomfortable and searching, as if he was trying to determine the reason behind the question. "Perhaps. It is none of your concern, however."

"Well, that's where you're wrong. I _am_ concerned that you're still recovering and yet are leaving to go off on your own. I hope you'll be all right."

"Do not worry yourself over me."

"You can't just tell me not to worry and expect that I won't!"

"Then worry as you will. I am leaving now."

"Sesshoumaru?"

He stopped mid-turn and watched her from the corner of his eye.

"After this is all said and done, will you acknowledge how we've helped each other, or will this just be your dirty little secret?"

He turned away and gazed out at the afternoon sky. His large frame blocked most of the doorway, the sun peering in through the small spaces in between, casting him into shadow.

"My debt to you will not be left unpaid."


End file.
